A Matter-of-Fact Magic Book (7 page)

“Rats! I know she has snakes and birds and dozens of cats, but rats!” Mrs. Hastings shook her head.

“She raises them and puts them in my store,” said Mr. Hellman. “She even tried to take my cat away, but I’ve got him back now. He’ll get rid of those rats.”

Mrs. Hastings nearly dropped her shopping bags. “Oh, dear, rats! Whatever shall I do?”

“I’ll tell you what to do, Mrs. Hastings,” said Mr. Hellman. “You call the Department of Health. They’ll give her a summons and make her get rid of those animals.”

“I will,” Mrs. Hastings said. “I’ll telephone this afternoon.”

Nora didn’t wait to hear any more. She ran out of the store. She went to the delicatessen on the next block to get the potato salad.

As soon as she got home, Nora told
Tad what she had heard. “Now is the time to use that fudge we’ve been saving,” she said. “I’m going to give a piece to Mrs. Hastings. That will make her like animals so much she won’t mind how many Maggie has in her apartment. She won’t call the Health Department, because she won’t want them to make Maggie get rid of the animals.”

“But won’t she call just as soon as the fudge wears off?” asked Tad.

“I’ll keep giving her fudge. I know she likes candy.”

Nora went up to her room and unlocked her desk drawer. She took one piece of fudge out of the plastic bag and locked the drawer again. Then she put the fudge on a plate and went next door to ring Mrs. Hastings’ bell.

Mrs. Hastings was surprised to see her. “I’ve brought you some fudge,” said Nora.

Mrs. Hastings took a good look at the fudge. It had not been improved by its long stay in the desk drawer. It was dry and shriveled and white around the edges.

“It’s nice of you, Nora.” Mrs. Hastings took another look at the fudge. “But I’m on a very strict diet, and I’m not allowed
to eat candy. Thank you anyway.” She shut the door.

Nora went home and back to her room. She had to think for a while.

Tad came in to ask her to help him with his homework. Nora showed him where he could find the answers in his book. Then she told him what had happened when she tried to give the fudge to Mrs. Hastings.

“Why don’t you mix it with her coffee?” said Tad.

“I’d have to get into her house to do that.” Nora heard a scratching in the closet. She opened the closet door just in time to see a little gray mouse squeeze through the crack under the baseboard and disappear.

Of course! Nora thought. There must be a way to go next door—through the walls. But only a mouse could do that.

Quickly, Nora went to her desk drawer
and unlocked it. She took out a piece of fudge. “Can you crush this to a powder, Tad?”

Tad ran out of the room and came back with a hammer. Nora wrapped the fudge in a handkerchief and Tad pounded on it with the hammer.

“What’s that banging up there?” Mrs. Cooper was calling up the stairs.

“I’m fixing something,” Tad yelled down.

Nora went to the kitchen for a plastic sandwich bag. She put the powdered fudge in it and twisted it into as small a package as she could. Then she tied it with button thread.

Tad watched her. “What are you going to do?”

Nora unlocked the desk drawer again and took out six pieces of fudge. She gave two pieces to Tad. “Eat them,” she said.

Tad started to nibble. He made a face. “It tastes terrible, Nora. Maybe the magic has gone out of it.”

“Oh, Tad, we have to
try
it at least. All right then, you don’t have to eat the fudge until after I do. Then you’ll know if the magic is still working. And you must eat both pieces. Promise!”

“Sure,” said Tad. “Now, eat away.” He sat down on Nora’s bed to watch her.

Nora stood in front of the desk. She shut her eyes tight and thought hard. Then she started to eat the hard old fudge. Nora thought she was going to choke, but she kept right on eating and thinking. First she ate one piece, then two, then three. Nora’s nose twitched and suddenly she felt very hungry. It wasn’t hard to eat the last piece of fudge.

Nora opened her eyes.

What was wrong? Where was she? What were those two strange things? She heard a harsh grating noise. Nora looked up. Now she understood.

The two things in front of her were Tad’s feet. The noise was the sound of
chewing—a giant chewing. Tad was eating the fudge.

When he finished the second piece, Tad said, “The fudge is still magic all right. You look good as a mouse.”

“I’d better not waste time,” said Nora. “Tie the bag of powdered fudge around my neck.”

Tad tied the little package around Nora’s neck with button thread. She ran into the closet and slipped through the crack under the baseboard.

It was dark between the walls, but here and there a crack let in a little daylight. Nora trotted along the mouse trail. It turned and twisted between the rooms, went up and down wooden slats, and traveled into the house next door.

At last Nora saw a hole that would be easy to run through. She came out into the light, blinking her eyes.

Her nose warned her. Something terrible was near!

Nora looked up into two cold blue eyes. Henry! She had gone into Maggie’s apartment by mistake!

Without knowing how she did it, Nora turned around and dived back into the mouse hole. Her heart was beating fast. She had to stay very still until it slowed down.

Then Nora went on following the mouse trail. She had to hurry before Mrs. Hastings made that phone call.

Nora poked her head out of a crack and looked all around. She saw the stairs that led down to Mrs. Hastings’ part of the house. She slipped out onto the stairs and jumped down, step by step. She wished her feet didn’t make such a scratchy sound.

When she reached the hall at the foot of the stairs, Nora squeezed under the door into Mrs. Hastings’ living room.

Mrs. Hastings was talking on the telephone. “Department of Health? I want to report a dangerous condition. My tenant, Mrs. Brown, has a great number of animals in her apartment—cats, dogs, birds, snakes, even rats. It smells dreadful. You’ll send someone tomorrow? Thank you.” Mrs. Hastings gave her address and hung up the telephone.

Nora crouched under the sofa. She was too late! Even if she managed to get the fudge into Mrs. Hastings’ coffee, the effect would wear off before tomorrow. Sadly Nora crept out of the room.

She sneaked through Mrs. Hastings’ dining room and kitchen and out into the yard. From there it was easy to get into her own yard and creep under the back door into the kitchen.

Tad was sitting at the kitchen table. Nora tugged at his shoelace. Tad looked down. When he saw Nora, he picked her
up and put her in his shirt pocket. “I don’t want Mother to see you,” he said. “What happened?”

“Take me to my room,” Nora said. “We can talk there.”

Tad left the kitchen and went upstairs with Nora in his pocket. “Why didn’t you use the fudge?” he asked, untying the packet from Nora’s neck.

“Mrs. Hastings was just telephoning the Health Department. I was too late.” Nora sat on the pillow and scratched herself. She ran her fingers down her long tail. “Hold me up to the mirror, Tad. I want to see what I look like.”

Tad held her in front of the mirror. Nora stroked her whiskers and admired her soft pink ears.

“When are they going to inspect Maggie’s apartment?” Tad asked.

“Tomorrow,” said Nora.

“That’s Saturday. Maggie will be busy feeding people’s cats.” Tad put Nora back on the pillow. “If we could go over and clean the place, that might help. And maybe we could hide the kittens and the sparrow cage.”

“You could turn yourself into a cat and go in the window again. I know a mouse trail to get into Maggie’s apartment,” Nora said.

“How could we do any cleaning up then?” Tad said. “And if the Health Department people came while we were there, they’d just see two
more
animals. I’m going next door to warn Maggie. She can work some magic herself.”

Tad ran out of the room and down the stairs. Nora heard the front door bang as he went out.

Mrs. Cooper was coming upstairs with an armful of clean laundry. She walked into Nora’s room. Nora dived under the pillow, but she wasn’t fast enough. Her mother had seen her.

Mrs. Cooper put down the laundry very quietly and lifted the pillow. Nora crouched on the bed, afraid to move. She
looked at her mother with frightened eyes. Mrs. Cooper stood quite still, holding the pillow.

Nora looked up at her mother. She knew her mother hated mice. Although she was almost certain her mother would never touch a mouse, Nora decided not to take any chances. She ran to the edge of the bed, shut her eyes, and jumped.

She landed on the hard floor and scuttled under the closet door and through the crack under the baseboard.

“Tad, Tad!” her mother was calling.

“What is it?” yelled Tad from downstairs.

“There’s a mouse up here. See if you can catch it.”

Tad raced up the stairs. “Where did it go?”

“Into the closet. I’ll get the broom. Maybe we can chase it out.” Mrs. Cooper went out.

Tad opened the closet door. “Nora,” he whispered.

Nora stuck her head out of the crack. “Yes.”